Apparatus for heat treatment of articles



0. E. GRAY. APPARATUS FOR HEAT TREATMENT OF ARTICLES.

- Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED JAN- TL 1920.

INVENTOR Dm id 2 r@' ATTORNEY D. E. GRAY. APPARATUS FOR HEAT TREATMENTOF ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 8, I920. 1,372,420. Patented Mar. 22,1921.

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INVENTOR ATTORNE UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- DAVID E. GRAY, OI CORNING,NEW YORK, ASSIGN'OB,v TO CORNING GLASS WORKS, OF CORNING, NEW YORK, A.CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

APPARATUS FOR HEAT TREATMENT 01' ARTICLES.

Specification of LettersTatent.

Application filed January 8, 1920. Serial No. 850,210.

To all whom z'tma concern."

Be it known that I, DAVID E. GRAY, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica and a resident of Cornin in the county of teuben, State of Nework, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus forHeat Treatment of Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its urpose to rovide a novel apparatus for cedingarticles during the'heattreatment thereof, to the end that all parts ofthe surface of such articles shall be uniformly exposed during theperiod in question.

This invention comprises the use of a conoidal chamber, rotating aboutthe conoidal axis, and means for controlling the temperature in theinterior thereof, preferably, but not-necessarily, by conduction throughthe walls of the chamber. If articles which are circular orsubstantially circular in crosssection, are fed into oneend of such achamber, gravity will tend in the rotation thereof to cause them to reston and remain in the bottom thereof, and in this tendency will cause arotary motion to be imparted thereto whereby they will roll on the innerwall of such chamber, the articles tending to' assume a position at anangle to the plane in which the articles are rotated by the chamber.According to this invention the shape of the articles should be sorelated to the shape of the chamber that, in the rotation of thearticles around their longitudinal axes, they will be given a rogressivemotion through the chamber. his will be accom lished, with a conoidalchamber, if the articles be non-homologous thereto. For instance, if thearticles are cylindrical, they will be given a progressive motion towardthe base of conoid, formed by the chamber. Thus this invention incausing a feeding motion due to the rotation of the articles under theinfluence of gravity and of the rotation of the chamber, dispenses withthe use of articulated carrying or driving elements within the chamber,the driving element in this invention taking the form of the rotatingchamber.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which represent an apparatus embodying the present invention,

Figure l is a side elevation partly in section of such apparatus, shownembodied in a leer.

Fig. 2 is a vertical-longitudinal section through the conoidal chambershowing the mounting thereof.

Figs. 3 to 8 are diagrammatic views illustrating the principle of thisinvention, Figs. 3, 4 and. 5 representing a position of rest towardwhich a cylindrical article tends in a rotating conoid when viewed fromthe top,

. side and end, respectively, and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 representing aposition assumed by such a body under the influence of the rotatingforce of the conoid.

In Figs. 1 and 2, this invention is shown in a form which has been foundwell adapted to the annealing of glass articles, such as sections ofglass gage-tubing, and is embodled in a leer, with proper devices forfeeding the tubin thereto, and the followmg description 0% constructionand operation is directed to such embodiment, as the same forms anexampleofthat species of the mvention which contemplates the feeding ofa cylindrical-shaped article throu h a rotating conoidal chamber,although 1t will be understood that by the specific illustration anddescription here to be made it is not in tended to restrict theinvention to annealing of gage-tubing, or to the details of the apparatus descrlbed as suitable therefor, such particular descriptionbeing made for the purposes of illustration, and not as a limitation ofthe invention.

Patented Mar. 22, 1921.

The structure shown in Figs. 1 and 2, em-

bodies a metallic hollow conoidal body 10, which forms the heatingchamber, and is mounted in suitable endbearings 11, formed of lowermembers 12, supporting the body by means of rollers 13, and of hold downcollars 14, the body having flanges 15 thereon to prevent endwisemotion. Throughout a greater portion of its length the body is within achamber 16, preferably lined with heat-insulation 17, and providedwiththe burners 18 by which it may be heated, and by which itstemperadelivery (2'. e., the larger) end of the chamber, and be carriedto any desired point.

In the operation of the device described,

' the rotary chamber 10 having been put in rotation, and the flamesofthe burners 18 having been properly adjusted to give the desiredtemperatures throughout the different zones of the leer, the articlesare fed to the chute 30 downwhich they slide by gravity into and on thebottom of the smaller end of the chamber 10, substantially lengthwisethereof. in Which position the axes of the articles are in the samevertical plane as the axis of rotation of the chamber, which may becalled the vertical fore and 'aft plane. Gravity tends to maintain'thearticles in this position, while the rotation of the chamber tends tomove the articles sidewise and upward. These two forces, acting inopposition to each other, put the articles into variation of rotationaround, or substantially around, the longitudinal axes thereof, andcause a slight shiftin of the axis of each of the articles from time totime to a position slightly inclined to the fore and aft plane, with theresult that in practice some, of the force causing rotation of thechamber will be so exerted on the article as to cause rotation thereofsubstantially on its longitudinal axis and thus a motion of the latteralong the chamber. Upon reaching the exit end of the chamber, thearticle will fall upon the removing trough 31.

It will be further seen, as the motion of the articles is dependent ontheir rotation, that no part of any articles can remain in prolongedcontact with the wall of the chamber, and that the points of contact areconstantly shifting. of each article will be subjected to the air Itemperature within the chamber and thus uniform heat treatment isassured.

Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive represent diagrammatically successivepositions-of a cylindrical article being fed through a conoidal chamber,toward which position it tends as a result of gravity, and which itassumes as a result of rotation of the conoid.

In Figs. 3, 4 and 5, the article 35 is'shown I inversely as C and As aresult every part is in the vertical fore and aft plane 111 which is theaxis E-E of the conoidal chamber, the two axes being, however, at anangle to each other in such plane. If the chamber 10 is now rotated inthe direction of the arrow of Fig. 5, the article is, due to therestraining influence of gravity, rotated around its own axis DD throughan angle a. -Assuming that C is the circumference of the article (itbeing the same at both ends), the resultant movement of the points X andY will be If the inner peripheral measurement of the conoid be C at Xand C at Y, the rotation of the conoid and of the article will haveshifted the line of contact between the two, so that it now passesthrough the points X and Y at the same distances from X and Y, theangles XOX' and YOY (O in each case being on the axis E-E) being to eachother The axis of the article will thus be inclined to the fore and aftplane of the conoid and as a result of the rotational movement of thewalls of the conoid its forward end will be more removed from such planein the direction of rotation of the chamber than its rear end, as shownin Figs. 6, 7 and 8. At some point in this movement, the article willslip in respect to the walls of the conoidal to again assumethe generalposition toward which it tends as shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5, but in aposition slightly more in advance of that Ehere shown, as is indicatedin dotted line in It will be further seen, as the progressive motion ofthe articles is dependent on their rotation, that no part of any articlecan remain in prolonged contact with the wall of the chamber, and thatthe points of contact are constantly shifting. As a result of this everypart of the article will be subjected to the air temperatures within thechamber, and thus will be uniformly heat-treated. The axis of theconoidal chamber may be horizontal or inclined to the horizontal withinlimits, with either end up, without departing from this invention, asthe propulsive force within the chamber will be sufficient, if theproportions are properly selected, to cause the articles to move evenagainst gravity. The line formed by the intersection of the lower innersurface of the conoid by the fore and aft plane, should, however, be ata less angle to the horizontal than the angle of repose of the articleon such surface, as otherwise the article in feeding through the conoidwill get beyond control.

By properly selecting the angle of the conoid, the speed of rotationthereof, and

the inclination of its lower surface with the horizontal, the speed ofthe article in its progression through the chamber, and thus its periodof heat treatment, may be controlled. It is obvious that the length ofthe article treated should be in such proportion to its diameter, and tothe diameter of the conoid, that the article will always tend to assumea position of rest with its axis in the fore and aft plane of theconoid.

It is further obvious, while this invention has been specifically shownin connection with means for heating the interior of the chamber, thatit is independent of the presence of such heating means. For instance,the conoidal chamber can be'used for feeding articles through a coldatmosphere where it is desired to uniformly chill them;

Having thus described the invention what is claimed is 1. In a devicefor the heat treatment of articles, the combination of a hollowconoidalbody having its axis of rotation so positioned that the lineformed by the cutting of its lower inner face by the vertical planecontaining such axis is at an angle to the horizontal less than theangle of repose of the article to be treated on such surface, and meansfor controlling the temperature within such body.

2. In a device for the heat treatment of articles which in cross-sectionare approximately circular, the combination of a conoidal rotatingchamber whose axis is so positioned that the line formed by cutting itslower inner face by the vertical plane containing such axis, is at anangle to the horizontal less than the angle of repose of the article tobe treated on such surface, the diameter-of the chamber being such in relation to the article to be treated therein that the article undergravity tends to assume a position with its axis 111 the vertical planeof the axis of rotation of the chamher, and means for controlling thetemperature Within such chamber.

In testimony whereof I hereunto sign my name this fifth day of January,1920.

DAVID E. GRAY.

